Looking for starboard side leak

Apr 28, 2018
16
Hunter 23 LaCrosse WI
The starboard side cushions get wet after a heavy rain. Carpet stain seems to indicate the leak is near the winch. I am trying to find out what kind of winch is there and if there are any tricks I need to know to reseat the winch. I am not sure how to begin. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Any water stain marks seen on wall or bulkhead where starboard chain plate is attached to? If yes, there is a cover plate topsides around starboard shroud plate screwed down with four screws. Pull that up and recall after removing old caulk

Advise if that is the issue
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Bio lists 23. If using cell phone, turn it sideways for bio. Frog pointed that out to me. Now fer fun hiking mountains tomorrow in rain
 
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Apr 27, 2010
1,236
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
Good pointer on the phone, never tried that.
I had leaks through the chain plates as Dave noted. I removed the covers, cleaned the area and rebedded with the butyl rubber you can get from Maine Sail. If it is the winches, I have no experience removing those.
If you find it is or may be the chain plates, check the wood bulkheads they bolt to. One of mine failed while sailing.
 

RoyS

.
Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Look along edge of toerail (if equiped) for puddles during rain. If a puddle is on top of a stanchion base or chainplate that is a likely spot for rain intrusion in quantity. I just identified a leaking stanchion base on my boat that had eluded me for years. I pressed some of Mainsail's butyl rubber around a suspect stanchion base and the leak stopped. The interior leak was about 3 feet forward of the exterior leaking stanchion. Plan to rebed that stanchion with butyl soon.
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
If all else fails send a private message to me. I will walk you thru a way to find leaks unless @isaksp00 can advise about closing up cabin using leaf blower to find leaks. I will pretty much be out of touch out of mind this week.
 
Apr 27, 2010
1,236
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
I have never done this, but here is a summary of the advice Crazy Dave has given in the past.
Seal all openings from the cabin to the outside, such as the edges of the lazarette hatch in the cockpit seat, and the edges of the sliding companionway hatch cover, with a wide tape like duct tape. Make sure the opening hatch in the front is shut and tightened. Cover the open hatch entry door where the boards go with heavy plastic, such as from a large garbage bag, and tape it to the sides. The idea is to seal the inside of the hull so it is more or less airtight. Cut a slit in that plastic sheet to accommodate a leaf blower tube. I am not sure if this would work, but maybe a shop vac hose attached to the outlet of the vac could also be used. Tape the hose or blower tube around that slit. Blow the air in to pressurize the hull interior. Use soapy water around stanchions, winches, chain plate covers, portlights, etc. - any hardware or other hull penetration that might leak - to look for bubbles.
 
Apr 28, 2018
16
Hunter 23 LaCrosse WI
Since the boat is now at my house ,I went out at the start of a hard rain and found this wet spot on my wall carpet. It is about 2.5” down from the top and there is no corespondent hardware above it. I assume this is a rub rail leak. I don’t know what to do next. DC showed concern about the chain plates (much appreciated), and attached is a photo of the chain plate. Other than the price of edge trim that has come off, it seams fine to me. The port side is the same. Do I have to replace the molding?
 

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Apr 27, 2010
1,236
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
I doubt it is the rub rail, as it is horizontal - but it could be. You can pull the rubber out of the plastic keeper if you need to look at the screws. I'd guess it is coming through a deck fitting like say a stanchion, and flowing downhill along the ceiling and then dripping.
If I were you, I'd remove the 3 bolts holding the chain plate to the bulkhead and check it. You can see water stains, which leads me to believe the cover plate and slot on the deck are not fully sealed. The bulkhead is plywood, so if water gets in from above it'll soak into the end grain and split the plys. That happened to me, and the bulkhead cracked under sail - I was lucky in that the bolts prevented the chain plate from sliding up, and I lowered the sail immediately.
It is easy (your mast is down, right?) to remove the 4 screws on the cover plates (I'd check both sides), look at the sealing material or caulk, and unbolt the chain plate. If the bulkhead wood seems soft or swelled, I would replace it. I used exterior grade ply, cut it to the same shape, and sealed all edges with West Systems epoxy. You have to get the decorative plugs out of the fiddle on the shelf and unscrew it to expose the bulkhead, and peel off the grey fabric around there. You might have to sacrifice the plastic trim covering the edge of the fabric along the side of the bulkhead. Then it is a messy job to use a grinding wheel and/or an oscillating tool blade to cut out the bad bulkhead(s), being careful not to grind into the hull layup. Then I used thickened epoxy to "glue" the new bulkhead in place, with the chain plate metal loosely bolted to the wood and up through the slot to ensure the right positioning. After that kicked I filleted the edge between the wood and hull with more thickened epoxy, making a curved fillet. Then you need to tab the bulkhead back to the hull with glass cloth. I felt that the type with the bias at 45 degrees would be stronger than cloth where the strands align up and sown ad horizontally. It may not look so nice after (unless maybe you find teak veneer to reapply), but if you do it right you will have a working mast.
 
Apr 27, 2010
1,236
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
FYI, I used the butyl rubber strips you can buy from Maine Sail to seal around the chain plates and under the cover. I like it because it is not glue, so you can remove any hardware later when needed, but is very sticky and pliable so it oozes into the cracks. So far, wood seems dry.
 
Oct 28, 2013
678
Hunter 20 Lake Monroe
Bio lists 23. If using cell phone, turn it sideways for bio. Frog pointed that out to me. Now fer fun hiking mountains tomorrow in rain
What do you know, that darn Frog had a good one there. Guess I never turned my phone to see what I had been missing.
How was the hike Dave?

Sam
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Home now. Listened to a great speech by Mike Pence on Saturday at Liberty University. First day hiked to a waterfall. Second day hiked the second highest mountain in the Smokey Mountains which was all 5 1/2 miles up. Took time as I stopped timely for the old ticker to catch up following open heart surgery 9 months ago. Got there and it was beautiful. It was cooler than when we started. took time coming down sideways so not to damage knees. Purchassed a couple of hunting knifes from a store in Sieverville, TN. Ate well. Vacation well worth taking. Raining here hard today and grass has grown a lot in a week with the washout of the driveway which I have to fix. Talk with you later.